Countries of the Rift
by HyperInuyasha
Summary: Shenanigans are a constant occurrence in the countries that inhabit the Rift. (RPG Maker games AU; mainly Yume Nikki centric)
1. Gentle (?)

**_Countries of the Rift_**

_Author's Note: This is an AU for a bunch of RPG Maker games, with each game having a country of some sort in the Rift from Middens. The reason why this is in the Yume Nikki tag is because it's mainly Yume Nikki+fangames centric._

_Plus, I'm trying to take over the Yume Nikki fanfic community. I currently have 5% of the stories here. That's not good enough for domination. I mean what._

_Anyway, I do not own any of the games or characters portrayed in this fic. This fic has no set schedule, so it'll be updated casually in between my main stories, like my One-Shot Compendium and that Persona story._

* * *

_**01**: Gentle (?)_

* * *

Queen Madotsuki came into power at a young age, guiding her country with a gentle hand. Even before, as a princess, she gained admirers when she had time to walk around city slums, playing her flute to uplift the spirits of citizens. She made it a point to personally visit officials in her kingdom and to take a stance against corruption and evil, inside her region and the outer portions of the Rift. The citizens of the kingdom love her, seeing her as a benevolent, gentle ruler.

However, as benevolent as she is, she isn't exactly gentle all the time.

...

In the northern part of the country, a quiet, snowy region, the good queen was just returning from a meeting with the region's governor over recent attacks on traders coming in from the industrial country in the northwest (a shipment of cow produced metal). Madotsuki walked out into the snow, not minding the cold. She looked around for her typical guardians, but could not spot them; a little late, perhaps?

Regardless, it pleased her. Under the watchful eyes of her jellyfish knights, she didn't have much autonomy. She walked through the snow, enjoying the sights, feeling the elements slosh around at her feet; ordinarily, her guards would hurry her through, as if they were guarding a treasure. She looked at the quaint igloos and the snow covered pine trees - lovely.

"Good evening, your majesty." a harsh female voice called out. Someone was walking through the snow. "Awfully cold, isn't it?"

The Queen listened closely to the voice and nearly did a double-take. The voice sounded human, but sound vowels sounded like a rough "squawk".

In the cover of the snow, a Toriningen arrived.

The Toriningen are a terror to the kingdom. Humanoid creatures with bird faces, they terrorize the land, its citizens, often robbing people, or - their specialty - kidnapping people and holding them for ransom. That is what they do in their normal state. Their frenzied state is much more malicious, more unstable, and most importantly, more dangerous.

Madotsuki allows her graceful queen facade to slip, glaring coldly at the monster before her. Just before, and many times in the past, she met with kingdom officials on the crimes of the Toriningen; one of her governors was even murdered, body taken, dumped unceremoniously in a forest, which one of her jellyfish guards later found.

"You're a fool, just walking around without your guards." The bird-woman cackled, taking steps forward, as the queen stood her ground. "Now now, my queen, I won't hurt you unless you cooperate. Besides…" She held up a clawed hand, "...we shouldn't start hurting you until we start releasing ransom videos. We have to let your stupid guards know that we mean business, ahahaha…"

Madotsuki stood cautiously. To the Toriningen, she looked submissive. The woman, surprised that she wasn't kicking up a fuss or trying to run, got into arm's range…

...and was met with a stabbing to the arm.

Underneath her sleeves, the Queen had a backup, something she always carries, something that her guards would disapprove of, something that would have people faint, knowing that her queen regularly wields it - a knife.

The Toriningen screeched, stepping back. Before she can make any move, Madotsuki swiftly made a slashing motion - her enemy was now reeling back, falling onto her back, blood gushing from her chest.

The criminal looked up. She saw the real queen, the true queen: a queen that is nice and benevolent, yet completely ruthless, capable of fighting, delivering a cold look to those she loathes.

The Toriningen screeched, eyes flickering a different color, a crazed bloodlust overtaking her, while Madotsuki just stood there…

* * *

The jellyfish guards found her safe and sound… but…

One of the servants grabbed her, concerned. The Queen's dress was clearly bloodstained.

"It's not my blood." Madotsuki said calmly, voice a bit weak from not talking in a while. "Just head a little north, there's a mess that needs to be taken care of."


	2. Visitor

**02:** Visitor

* * *

The queen's abode is relatively humble in comparison to most people who hold authority. The closest things she had in her room that would be considered wealthy would be rugs that cheaply imitated a dead culture of a splintered civilization and a few bookcases - unlike some collectors though, Madotsuki actually reads some of her books and they weren't for show. Even the television in her room was cheap in quality: it didn't even get basic cable!

Though, Madotsuki wishes that she could rid herself of the dress; alas, she was meeting somebody, and she had to look dignified, even if the surroundings weren't. So, in her dress, she sat down and waited...

The foreign visitor didn't waste much time in arriving. The guards stationed outside of her quarters opened the door, allowing a frowning man in.

The first observation: the man is entirely monochrome, somebody she would mistake to be from her own Monochrome Desert region if she weren't told otherwise.

The second observation: He is dressed up as a baseball player, for whatever godforsaken reason.

"Hello, Mr...?"

"Batter. I am The Batter."

Madotsuki only knew the man as a vagabond, formerly from the kingdom of Vader Eloha. The country there was a seed that didn't start growing until after a few years after Madotsuki's own ascension to the throne - it was relatively a sapling of a nation. As for the man... not many knew him; no one at all knew his true name, if he even had one.

"Excuse the accommodations, Batter. We don't have a true meeting room." she stated.

"It's okay." he said indifferently, crouching on the floor (as he did so, Madotsuki noticed that his eyes seem to be constantly shadowed by his hat...).

"...Excuse me for asking, but why are you dressed as a baseball player?"

"It is my holy garb."

"...ah... er, does this mean that baseball is a sacred tradition where you come fro-"

"Not important." He interrupted.

Other forms of authority would get angry if they were interrupted - she however, was lenient, yet annoyed. "Let's get to the point here: why are you here, sir Batter?"

The man gazed at the ground. Then he calmly said, "I wish for help in my insurrection against my kingdom."

"What."

"You must understand, your highness... have you seen the state of my lands?"

Madotsuki had never actually been to the kingdom. The queen, Vader Eloha, is fairly elusive; other leaders she's met claimed that the woman is just a puppet leader, but there's no definite proof. "Please explain..."

The pale man visibly gritted his teeth: a bit sharp looking. "The Queen's failed in her services for the land. The main citizenry are nervous wrecks that threaten societal collapse within the next few years, the Guardians, the regional rulers, are ineffective in dealing with their civic duties or are corrupt to some extent... and most importantly, there's the damn specters. They're overtaking our lands and are threatening to quicken the inevitable collapse - they must be purified."

A story of corruption and societal turmoil: interesting. Madotsuki thought over it. Helping the Batter seems like a righteous cause on paper... yet, he had no proof on any of this. Perhaps she could collaborate with others for information. Additionally, it's not as if she's the Rift's police, even if it's for a moral cause... Plus, besides trading, she had no real interest in the young nation, and she only chooses to fight wars defensively...

Regardless, Madotsuki is curious on his wants, so the young queen asked, "So... you wish for my troops to help your war?"

"No. I'll be the only fighter."

"What." The queen is starting to feel that it was a bad idea giving audience to the ever strange man in front of her.

"With my holy bat, I will purify the world of malignance. My only concern is that the Queen will reach out for allies to maintain her flimsy control over the kingdom; I merely wish for a blockade to keep anything from leaking out to her allies."

"..." the young ruler sighed. "So, you wish for me to keep any help from getting into the country for no real reason except for a moral one that you may have made up, while you single-handedly start a rebellion?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

From her balcony, Queen Madotsuki watched as the Batter was escorted out of the tower by her jellyfish guards, the man remaining stoic in this humiliation.

She wasn't the first country that the Batter approached for assistance. She heard stories from other leaders, who dismissed him, claiming that he is insane; Madotsuki had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and given him audience. Unfortunately, the man really does seem to be crazy. Who would believe such claims?

Really, only a crazy person would take him up.

Or, somebody who had a lot to gain.

At the very least, the Queen gave him a prescription to see a therapist.


	3. Pleasant Morning

_**03:** Pleasant Morning_

* * *

Urotsuki walked down the hall, her cape swishing through the air as she went, a pleasant smile under her military cap. Decked in schoolboy like attire, she was ready to start her day.

The young empress has fun stuff to do.

She saw one creature of her empire, a servant, and waved; the other waved back. She saw a different creature and delivered another greeting; the Rift creature seems a bit uneasy, but it returned the greetings.

Her empire is one of the few countries in the deeper realms of the Rift that continually expanded; the Rift swallows the worlds beyond, so expansion within is the course of nature. Areas that weren't part of another country is gobbled up by her - assimilation is rather easy. So, with wide swathes of land under her belt, there is a huge diversity of creatures under her fair(ish) rule, some of whom she was saying hi to at the very moment. Servants, soldiers, some of her "personal entourage", all of them different, all of them admiring her.

It didn't matter if the admiration is genuine or generated by fear. It makes her happy regardless.

"Madam!" one of her servants, a baker woman in a yellow dress and frosting on (or as?) her hair, approached. She looked at what her empress was holding and got a bit unnerved. "Ah… excuse me for interrupting…"

"Oh no, I don't mind. Please, say what you have to say~"

That eased her fears. "Oh… I forgot to ask what cake you wanted for breakfast. I… I'd hate to prepare one you didn't like."

The empress thought it over. "Red velvet."

"I see… thank you, I'll have it ready soon."

"Good girl. Please, take your time~" she complimented, skipping along her way.

After several hallways, she reached her desired room, deep in her domain. She twisted the doorknob and pushed her way through.

The room is dark, but Urotsuki knows of its appearance after frequent visits: sharp instruments of torture are in the room, easily accessed, and her latest victim was stuck in the back of the room, practically crucified.

The woman kept her head down. The empress smiled and finally turned on the chainsaw she'd be lugging all over the place.

"Good morning~ What crime are you guilty of?" she asked.

The woman made an inhuman noise. Definitely just humanoid looking in nature.

"...It doesn't matter. Regardless, you have the death sentence, friend~" Urotsuki honestly didn't know what she was guilty of. All she knew is that she had a fresh victim, offered to her as sacrifice from some prison, as if she was a demon demanding flesh.

It makes her happy.

"Look at it this way: you get to please your Empress. So… be a good girl and take it…"

The woman kept her head down, but was continuing to make her strange noises as the Empress drew near…

* * *

Urotsuki now sat in her room, enjoying a nice red velvet cake, not minding the blood that now stained her clothing. She didn't need to look all clean and fancy looking to be known as a leader.

The girl eagerly ate up her cake. "Hm… I really must give the baker a raise…"


	4. Blighted Land Part 1

**04:**_ Blighted Land, Part 1_

* * *

The thing that resembled a cloud descends from the sky, revealing itself as a white spaceship, heading down to the ruined land below. The computer panels in the ship beep ominously, informing the pilot of the poisonous energies the land is rife with. He had known about the land's danger beforehand - it's rather infamous in the Rift. He was going to go in for a few minutes, find a remnant of the destroyed civilization that isn't irradiated, and head back. The researchers back at his Queen's kingdom would have a field day with what he finds.

The ship landed at what seems to be a parking lot, now rife with dying grass. The door opened, and out came Seccom Masada.

The Monochrome Desert native looked across the landscape with drooping eyes. Former skyscrapers that reached into the heavens are now dominos, lying on top of each other as steel rubble; the streets are broken up as if a great earthquake had swept through; the ashes of the dead formed silhouettes into the ground and onto walls, painting the pictures of individuals going about their regular activities before their sudden downfall.

This world was dead before the Rift took it.

The problem is, nobody knows _how_.

The deceased city, the remnant of a civilization, is filled with a strange deadly energy; however, it wasn't nuclear energy.

It is something… supernatural.

Masada's started running, being mindful of his time. Already, he could feel a strange tingling.

In the distance, he could hear something.

He heard rumors of mutant like beings living in the city. He hopes that they aren't true.

Masada took out a hand scanner and scans objects at random, looking for something safe, yet interesting. He found a cup that wasn't infected - not interesting enough. There are bits of a newspaper scattered on the street, but they were random tidbits that couldn't form a good enough picture of the world before (he took pictures, for reference, though). The ashen silhouettes seems to stare ominously as he passed.

Suddenly, he doubled over in pain, beeping.

He needs to hurry.

He scans frantically.

In the distance he could hear feet dribbling.

Then, his scanner comes up with a positive result.

He walked over cautiously. A strange, metallic object sits before him.

He hears a roar.

The black-suited explorer panicked. He had to leave, before the fabled - though now very much real - monsters arrive, and before he succumbs to the land's poison. Without taking the time to properly examine the metallic object, he scooped it up and ran.

More noises roar around him, picking him up by the sounds of his footsteps. Masada felt his eyes stinging, but resisted the urge to close them.

He reached the lonely parking lot, his precious ship waiting, nobody else in sight. Not even taking a second to look at the world behind him, he ran inside. He carelessly threw the object at the floor in his panic and got to the controls.

That's when he heard them. The pounding at the ship's doors.

Gripping at the controls tightly, Masada launched his ship into the air; he could hear them hissing outside, their noises progressively growing more silent as he ascends.

The noises stop. He's safe.

The explorer, relieved, puts his ship on autopilot. He thought of relaxing his nerves by playing the piano, or washing himself off to make sure the poison is really gone, when -

"...it's come to my attention that I've been liberated from that den of plebeians."

The object spoke.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**Author's Note:** First multiparter. Until the second part, try to think of which game this is from. :)_


	5. Blighted Land Part 2

**05: Blighted Land, Part 2**

* * *

The table in Masada's ship is rarely sat in, as lonely as his journeys. However, today, Masada had a guest, the odd mechanical being, who sits across from the traveler for an interview.

Masada beeped out excitedly, wildly gesturing.

Thankfully, it seems as if the mechanical being could understand the near electronic noises. "Yes. I suppose I should be grateful for being rescued from that uneducated nest."

The monochrome being rose an eyebrow and bleeps.

"Me? What do I identify as?"

A nod.

The mechanical being paused, for dramatic emphasis, before answering: "I am one of many sages that wandered a once barbaric world, a world ignorant of the finer arts, of eastern works, hopelessly obsessed with western values and objects. My land was begging to be destroyed, and I looked upon its ruins as if I was witnessing the setting at the last parts of End of Evangelion.

You see, the land, my city, was part of a country that was the center of inferiority. I'm glad that it's gone. No more Madden. No more Call of Duty. No more terrible works. The world surrounding my city panicked while I chewed on my Pocky with satisfaction. Unfortunately, I've been cut off from the masterpieces produced by Square Enix-Goya ever since the land was devoured. Oh-"

Masada makes a confused beep.

"...my city? Who cares now?"

An angrier beep.

"Hmph. Fine. If you really must know: the destroyed den below was what used to be called Manhattan."

A major discovery! Finally, the name of the unsettling land. Masada beeps in satisfaction. However, there was more he wanted to know, mainly, how it became blighted.

"What happened? ...the product of an accursed western sport. The crime of a man known as... Charles Barkley."

Confusion. Western sport? Charles Barkley?

The mechanical thing laughs, clanking. "I'll explain later. It's been so long since I've seen an intelligent being not infected with b-ball radiation. We'll talk in your home land; for now, I'll bestow upon you my cultural knowledge, and you should be grateful."

Masada, though annoyed by its smugness, is ecstatic. Though it won't be telling him on what happened to Manhattan at the moment, learning of cultures will be just as good.

* * *

"...Sword Art Online is definitely one of the finest works of my time. The heroic characteristics of Kirito, the MMORPG settings, the waifus, it truly is one of the greatest stories ever produced. Critics argue that the later arcs had a drop in quality, but I argue that those critics are blinded by ignorant western values, and are biased toward the inferior .hack series. Some westerners attempted to copy the success with stories such as Ready Player One and For the Win, but they are pisspoor imitations of this anime masterpiece..."

Masada pilots the ship through the Rift as the object rambled. All the creature seems to talk about is pop culture. It wasn't historical, but Masada finds it interesting. Though, Masada feels a bit aggravated by its superiority complex and its constant talking...

* * *

"...Persona 3 and 4 are the only Shin Megami Tensei vidcons worth caring about. The later vidcons had gone down the drain, appealing to more international audiences with Strange Journey. Meanwhile, Persona 3 and 4 have stayed true to otaku values, with its peppy J-Pop songs, the anime characters, and the visual novel-esque scenes. Dating Mitsuru is one of the Persona series' greatest joys (I do not count P1 and the P2 duology as part of the series, as they fail to meet my waifu quota), though she does not compare to the newly introduced Marie..."

Masada twitches an eye.

The thing was starting to piss him off.

* * *

"...EVO truly is a den of stupidity. It hosts many fighting vidcons, but have you seen one of the Naruto fighting vidcons as a main event? Have they extolled the Dragon Ball ones to high heavens? Has Dissidia Final Fantasy been approved by the organizers? No. They are blind fools, only scratching the top of the surface with Capcom's fighting franchises. I give them points for being accepting of Persona 4 Arena, but they are naught but fo-"

Masada made a screeching, angry noise, interrupting the creature's latest spiel. It's been hours and he's tired of his ramblings.

"...What's that, baka (idiot) gaijin (outsider of Japan)? You want me to stop?"

His next set of noises seem to beg it to shut up.

"...hmph. Sorry if I come across as condescending, but truly, you lack the cultural knowledge to enjoy high arts, such as anime and manga." The machine said, continuing to be condescending. "To understand the superior land of Nippon (Japan), I'd suggest to get acquainted with Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, Lucky Star, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hopefully, by this point, you'll be a better person."

The explorer slammed his hand on the console and stood from his chair.

He no longer cared what the creature had to offer.

He no longer cared about the cultural knowledge the Queen's kingdom could benefit from.

He no longer cared to figure out the exact events of Manhattan's destruction, and who this "Charles Barkley" is.

He wants it to go. The fuck. Away.

He angrily ran over to the being and grabbed it. The mechanical creature did not seem to realize how angry he actually was as he walks toward the door. "Hey now, no touching, this is not a doujin. If you perhaps pretty up, I can show you the forbidden techniques shown in the works of Alice no Taka-"

Masada opened the door. Outside, he could see a vast, neverending patchwork, air rushing around them.

He wound up his arm and throws the object out of the vessel. The explorer listened as the object angrily rants until it fades into one of the Riff's many domains, silencing it from his ears.

Masada goes back into his ship, wishing that he had a mouth to smile with.

* * *

_Author's Note: Charles Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden technically isn't an RPG Maker game, but I really wanted to write something about it. In writing some of the rants, I felt kinda disgusted at myself, especially with the Sword Art Online one. However, surprisingly, the "cultural knowledge" rant isn't something I bullshitted, it was from a YouTube comment circulating around tumblr, and it is honestly one of the most condescending and weaboo things I've ever read._


	6. Frustration

**06**: Frustration

* * *

Another one biting the dust, she heard. Another humanoid, with infected white hair and disease induced rage, had to be put down in the city. It was only treated as a tragedy by those close to the child. For everyone else, it was just another instance of "Rust", another sign that not enough is being done.

Sabitsuki made sure to take her medicine when she woke up. All they did was offset the malefic Throne-like rage that accompanied her own Rust, never truly curing it (she wishes), but keeps her functioning.

She had to deal with the damn mob in the morning (or what she perceived as such). Fuckers couldn't let her get enough sleep. Always blaming her for this shit.

"Do you think I'm not trying?" Sabitsuki yelled over her realm's denizens. But alas, they never listened. Whenever there's troubles there always had to be a scapegoat, and as a leader she's the most convenient one.

But how the hell do they expect her to be helping anyone if she can't even help herself?

Her maid had to shoo away the crowd. Again. The sound of a revving chainsaw, regardless of who hears it, is a universal sign to go away.

Her realm was already classified as "risky", as the strain of Rust did not yet have a pinpointed cause (was it brought into the Rift, or was it born there), nor does anyone know the true extent of the disease: what types of creatures could it infect aside from humanoids, could the symptoms mutate depending on who's infected, how fast can it spread, etc.). Aside from aimless wanderers, most did not take the risk to enter the land...

"Who do those fucks think is keeping the economy going?" Whenever a Rust related incident happens, word gets around quick. She needs to make sure her diplomatic and economic relationships are intact. Sabitsuki wishes that she could have some socialist society established instead of having to deal with others (which is quite a headache, as the only consistent currencies are souls and copper), but alas, citizens feared that farming their own food on the land could have spread the disease more quickly. Of course, as leader, Sabitsuki has to trade with other nations and farms with odd produce to feed her nation, and she does a decent job at it.

But are they grateful for that? Noooooo...

The pale-haired woman spent the next two hours writing letters to important contacts to reassure them that the situation is being handled; the act would have taken her less longer if she didn't need to translate her words into the less Earth-like languages. She handed the letters to some messenger vermis - trained worms dedicated to delivering messages across the Rift and bites anyone that tries to intercept them - who then weaved themselves through the Rift's dimensional fabric, disappearing.

She suddenly found herself coughing violently, doubled over. Ah. Another Rust symptom. The Maid burst in, alarmed.

"I-I'm fine." Sabitsuki tried to reassure her. She stood up, wiping away a bit of blood at her lips. "I just need some more rest."

The Maid nodded, and stood by, allowing Sabitsuki to leave.

...

Sabitsuki locks herself into a dusty room in a lonely tower erected in her domain. It's her home away from home, her fortress of solitude that citizens just see as another abandoned relic of a civilization and ignore, never suspecting that their leader takes refuge there. Surely, she can get a complete amount of sleep, with only her diseased veins being a possible interruption.

The room contains a nice bed, a bookcase (full of random texts she found that she doesn't actually read - the aesthetic is killer, though), a tv and game station (a certain other leader hooked her up with it), and a computer (in a past time, it could have connected to the internet; but in the Rift, all it could really do is write documents).

"Fuck those guys." Sabitsuki threw off her shoes and approaches the bed. "I do all I can for these damn people..." Trying to run a community is very tiring. Especially when they expect you to pull miracles out of thin air. She hopped into bed and pulled the covers over. The Maid knows where she is, and if she were to bother her, it better damn well be important.

The unsatisfied people, Rust, it all frustrated her, and she needed to sleep those bad feelings away.


	7. Meeting

**07:** Meeting

* * *

Madotsuki glanced at the two people sitting around the table, trying to stay calm and dignified.

To the left is Empress Urotsuki; though, given her current demeanor of leaning back in a chair and resting her legs on the table, most people wouldn't see he as a leader at first glance. The woman had a grin on her face, looking friendly at first glance, but the Queen knew that the smile is like that of a wolf. She knew that the woman would, if she wanted to, jump out of her chair and try to kill them. But she didn't to do that - because they were friends.

To the right, arms crossed, slightly fuming, is Sabitsuki. In the past, they only shared correspondence through letters, and it wasn't until that Rust was confirmed to not be airbourne did they have a proper meeting. Sabitsuki is always pale. And angry. She is both less and more volatile than Urotsuki: less so because she still preferred peaceful solutions, and more so because she had more buttons to press.

Dealing with them was tough at times - especially when there's disagreements.

"I refuse to kill him." Sabitsuki insisted. Currently, they were all discussing the recent troubles in Sabitsuki's territory, and how even when things were beyond her control, she would be blamed for everything and lose an upcoming election. Urotsuki is currently trying to be as unhelpful as possible.

"Why not? Just assassinate him and you'll be the only real candidate." Urotsuki said with a malicious tone. "Of course, they'll know you're responsible - so your citizens will be too scared to step it up!"

"I run a democracy, not a police state!"

"Oh, they can't be the same thing?"

"Please, calm down." Madotsuki called over them, trying to calm tensions and quell Urotsuki's less than ideal suggestions. "Governments need to be run calmly. Peacefully. If you stage an assassination... things will be thrown into chaos..."

"Then Sabitsuki can fix the problems and be re-elected as a hero, problem solved," the empress said.

"They'll know I caused Smile's death in the first place, dipshit!" Sabitsuki yelled.

"Please, no cursing at the table. But I agree with you."

Realizing that Plan A (for Assassination) isn't going to get off the ground, Urotsuki throws her arms up. "Fine, fine. Have it your way, you damn pacifists."

"Language."

"Whatever. But just keep in mind... my offer's still on the table~"

"I'll leave it on the table, then." Pale-haired sighed.

The queen looks around the table, nodding to herself. The other two seem annoyed with each other and with her, but the situation is no longer escalating beyond that. "While there's no way our countries can really help in your situation - besides assassination," she paused, looking in Urotsuki's direction, "I at least plan to continue supporting you. You can expect that our trading deal is still in place."

"Pfft, I can do more than that, we can rewrite contracts to make sure you have more resources." Urotsuki offered. "Maybe if you feed them more, those ungrateful bastards will remember who's feeding them."

"I kinda doubt it... but that I can appreciate." Sabitsuki nodded. She paused, thinking a bit. "In return, I'll give you more money for medical research - you scratch my back and I scratch yours, right?"

This was one of the topics Urotsuki and Sabitsuki can readily agree on, Madotsuki notices. The young empress set up research for medicine, motivated to help somebody close to her; with the Rust epidemic, Sabitsuki bought into her program and is the biggest contributor, in hopes that it leads to a cure for Rust; while Madotsuki has no real personal stake in it, she still donated occasionally, as she's seen far too much suffering in the Rift in the past that it's simply the right thing to do.

"Haha, of course. Hey, get this, this one time we found this guy in the robe that looked like a block of cheese with a mustache - like a hipster, you know." Urotsuki rambles, "We just haaad to kill this guy, his existence was a crime to good taste. Well, his body had these chemicals and we dissected the corpse and we tried to experiment with it for our medicine. We tested it on this guy, and guess what?"

"What?" Madotsuki questions, finding herself forgetting why they were originally there.

"The motherfucker just starts talking and talking, rambling about art house films - the hipster was contagious. He starts ranting about how our nation lacks any true culture - and you know, he's right. And so, that's how a Hipster Cheese helped start art programs."

"Weird shit happens in the Rift, Urotsuki," Sabitsuki said, foregoing any formal title for the empress. "I remember this one time when..."

And so, their serious meeting ended up devolving into a show of young rulers gossipping. At one point, Madotsuki ended up joining in, because she wouldn't blame them for taking a break from national problems and engaging in nonsense.

They are young humans. They weren't mean to rule anything. It was the Rift and circumstances that made it so. They needed to take breaks, and just talking is much better than their stressful dealings. This was honestly the reason why they still continue to meet or haven't broken into conflict - they could talk to each other, comprehend each other, and relate with each other. Urotsuki's smile had turned sincere, and even Sabitsuki had laughs at the stories being told. The young queen forgets that she's a queen for a while, just so that she can hang out with them.


End file.
